What is green advertising?
Environmental Claims: A Guide for Industry and Advertisers addresses a number of commonly used green claims and provides examples of best practices on how such claims can be used by businesses to comply with the false or misleading provisions of the laws enforced by the Competition Bureau.
Source: Competition Bureau website
Helpful info about door-to-door vacuum cleaner salespeople
Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority has some great tips for consumers who are approached by door-to-door marketers. These tips are from a recent release from their website:
· A common way for salespeople to get your attention is to say they are conducting an air quality or air purification survey. This leads to a vacuum demonstration and potentially a hard sell. When you run into this kind of phone pitch, make sure you ask lots of questions so you know what to expect.
· You may be offered a free gift to give someone a chance to demonstrate their product or if you purchase the item. Again, make an informed decision, be sure you want the vacuum before accepting any free gifts.
· Some vacuums can be very expensive and you may be offered a financing arrangement that allows you to make payments on the product. If you decide to pursue this option, get the contract in writing, read the fine print and make sure you know the interest rate. Often the rates are very high.
· If you’ve done all your research and decided to purchase the vacuum, ensure that the vacuum is new. Some consumers have paid a large amount for a vacuum only to receive a second-hand product. Source: BPCPA website
Social networking and ID theft a concern
Criminal Intelligence Service Canada has recently released an intelligence report on organized crime in Canada.
The report warns that popular sites like Myspace and Facebook are quickly becoming breeding grounds for identity theft.
Our key tips are to restrict the amount of personal information you put on your Facebook or Myspace page and invite only people you know as friends. The more information that is publically available, the more liable you are to ID theft and financial loss.